Auburn basketball team diverted mid-flight as ‘bunch of’ players fight on plane

· New York Post

When Flight Club meets Fight Club.

The No. 11 Auburn Tigers basketball program had some sort of skirmish in mid-air as the team was en route via team plane to Houston — home of the No. 4 team in the nation, according to multiple reports.

WBRC in Alabama reported that the team was fighting on the flight and that the plane diverted several minutes after takeoff in the afternoon.

The pilot was asked about the “level of threat” that led to needing an emergency landing, to which he replied, “We have a bunch of basketball players fighting.”

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl led the team to a 94-43 win in their season opener against Vermont. AP

WBRC reported the audio could not be shared due to legal reasons.

Auburn’s bench reacts after a slam dunk by forward Jahki Howard. AP

The plane returned back to Auburn about 40 minutes following their takeoff, according to FlightAware.

Basketball analyst John Goodman added that there was “horseplay between players” on the flight.

ESPN reported the issue on the flight was resolved before anything “serious” happened.

Auburn did post before flying with the caption liftoff with a rocket emoji, which garnered some jokes on social media.

Auburn is 1-0 this season after defeating Vermont in their season opener on Wednesday.